Bifurcation and chaos in one dimensional chains of small particles

This work deals with bifurcation and the chaotic behavior in one dimensional chains of small particles. We consider two distinct possibilities, one where the particles are modeled by a fourth-order potential which was already studied. We revisit this system and bring novelties concerning the presence of the three-armed star behavior and the study of the corresponding Lyapunov exponent. The other system is new, and there the particles are more involved and modeled by an eighth-order potential. We investigate this new system within the same approach, emphasizing the behavior of the orbits, the bifurcation profile and the corresponding Lyapunov exponent.